Small Screen, Big News

'Revolution' comes to Austin, plus 'Modern Dads' and more

You've seen plenty of big-screen news in Film Flam and Trailer Park of late, but what about your television favorites?

Here's what's new in Central Texas TV land.

• Earlier this month, A&E announced it had ordered eight episodes of a new reality show called Modern Dads, which is filming here in Austin. The show will follow stay-at-home dads, for a change, instead of the usual crop of teen moms, "real" housewives, and other women we've grown accustomed to seeing on the reality scene.

• On Thursday, May 23, you can check out two Central Texans in the HGTV pilot of Fixer Upper, which features Joanna and Chip Gaines and their remodeling business, Magnolia Homes. If the pilot is picked up, it'll stick to Texas homes along the I-35 corridor we know and love: DFW, Waco, Austin, and San Antonio.

• J.J. Abrams' Revolution (NBC) is set to begin shooting June 24 here in Austin – a move from their former filming location of Wilmington, N.C.. Keep an eye out for Billy Burke, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Giancarlo Esposito as they roam the streets in their unplugged world. The show will air at 7pm on Wednesdays for its second season.

• And here's one for everybody: BBC's Bang Goes the Theory (not to be confused with CBS's Big Bang Theory) returns June 4, 8pm CT, to BBC America. In the first three back-to-back episodes, viewers are supposed to learn why gas costs so much, whether modern life is damaging our ears, and whether the Cloud is a safe digital storage solution. Austinites, tech-savvy, music-loving commuters that we are, should pay attention.